60-Second Mind

If Time Is Money Then Free Time Is Frustrating

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:08 -0500

If we think of time as money we might be undermining our ability to enjoy free time. Christie Nicholson reports

More Than One Blow for a Concussion in Football

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 22:00:08 -0500

A recent study shows that it's multiple blows to the head that lead to a concussion in football. Christie Nicholson reports

How the Itch Informs the Scratch

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:08 -0500

Research finds that where the itch begins says a lot about how bad it is--and how pleasurable the scratch. Christie Nicholson reports

Lack of Sleep Might Make You Feel Hungrier

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:08 -0500

Extreme lack of sleep might make one more susceptible to food imagery, making us feel hungrier than we actually are. Christie Nicholson reports

Men Spend the Big Bucks When Women Are Scarce

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:00:08 -0500

A recent study finds that when men perceive that there are few women, they'll spend more money. Christie Nicholson reports

Cognitive Decline Sets in around Age 45

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 10:00:08 -0500

A new study finds that the inevitable cognitive decline we all face starts earlier than we originally thought. Christie Nicholson reports

The Elderly React Slowly Because They Want to Be Right

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:00:08 -0500

Recent studies have found that the elderly may respond more slowly to specific tasks, but not because their cognitive skills are slower. Christie Nicholson reports

Toddlers Don't Monitor Their Own Speech

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:00:08 -0500

Adults and children hear their own voice and use it as feedback to monitor their speech, but it seems that young toddlers do not. Christie Nicholson reports

A Quirk of Speech May Become a New Vocal Style

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:00:08 -0500

What used to be thought of as a symptom of a speech disorder might now be a hot trend in vocal style among rock stars and young women. Christie Nicholson reports

Individuals Are Removed from Blame When in Groups

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:08 -0500

A recent study has found that we do not tend to hold individual members of a group responsible for their individual actions. Christie Nicholson reports

Killing 1 Person to Save 5

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 14:00:08 -0500

Researchers test a famous ethical dilemma called the "trolley problem" in a very real setting. Christie Nicholson reports

Dreams Help Soothe Your Bad Memories

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:08 -0500

Research finds that dreams may help consolidate and soothe troubled memories and experiences. Christie Nicholson reports

Protein Might Ward Off Afternoon Snooze

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:39:08 -0500

Glucose can block brain cell secretion of orexin, which keeps us alert. But amino acids can stop that block. Christie Nicholson reports

How We View Half-Naked Men and Women

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Research finds that scantily-clad women and men are judged in similar ways. Christie Nicholson reports

Brains Built to Cooperate

Sun, 6 Nov 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Research finds support for the theory that brains excel when we cooperate. At least in duet-singing wrens. Christie Nicholson reports

Be Afraid, but Not Too Afraid

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:00:08 -0500

Halloween reminds us that we love to be scared. But too much of anything is not good. Christie Nicholson reports

Are Men Funnier Than Women?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:08 -0500

A new study finds that the humor gap between the sexes is more stereotype than reality. Christie Nicholson reports

Body Language Improves Our Communication

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:00:08 -0500

Recent research finds that body language significantly improves how well we are understood by our audience. Christie Nicholson reports

Young Children Think Differently about Ownership

Sun, 9 Oct 2011 09:00:08 -0500

Research shows that young children tend to think that naturally occurring objects like pinecones or rocks cannot be owned. Christie Nicholson reports

Clothing Reveals Racial Stereotypes

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 11:00:08 -0500

A study in the journal Public Library of Science ONE finds that many judge race based on types of clothing. Christie Nicholson reports

Speech Disorders May Be Helped Using Rhythm and Familiar Words

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Singing therapy is often used to restore fluency to sufferers of speech disorders due to stroke. Recent research found, however, it may not be the singing itself that helps. Christie Nicholson reports

Scientists Find a New Way to Measure Pain

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Scientists have been searching for an accurate way to measure pain beyond a patient's self-report, but to no avail. A recent study might have found one possible solution. Christie Nicholson reports

Musicians Maintain Hearing Better

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:14:08 -0500

A hearing study of experienced musicians found they had a better chance than non-musicians of avoiding the hearing loss associated with aging. Christie Nicholson reports

Overeating Depends on Context

Sat, 3 Sep 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Research has found that ritual and context influences us to eat too much with no regard for quality. Christie Nicholson reports

Global Survey Links Religion and Happiness

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:08 -0500

An analysis of the Gallop World Poll finds that there is an association with religion and increased happiness, but only in societies that lack adequate social support. Christie Nicholson reports

Ability for Mathematics May Be Inborn

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Children who have a good sense of numbers also tend to have a talent for arithmetic, even before formal training. Christie Nicholson reports

Spoiling the Ending Makes for a Better Story

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Research has found that giving away the best part of a story at the beginning actually makes it more enjoyable. Christie Nicholson reports

More Football Players Found to Suffer from Degenerative Disease

Sun, 7 Aug 2011 00:00:08 -0500

The Canadian Sports Concussion Project announced the results from brain autopsies of four CFL football players. Two of the players suffered from the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Christie Nicholson reports

Panic Attack Sufferers Are Unaware of Symptoms

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:00:08 -0500

Panic attacks seem to come out of nowhere, but research finds symptoms appear up to one hour before the sufferer is aware of the attack. Christie Nicholson reports

Compulsive Gamblers Combine Impulsiveness with Irrationality

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:33:08 -0500

Compulsive gamblers seeking treatment were more impulsive and more likely to be superstitious than were non-gamblers. Steve Mirsky reports

Hot Baths May Cure Loneliness

Sat, 2 Jul 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Recent research finds that taking a hot bath can cure loneliness. Christie Nicholson reports

Paying in Cash Keeps Us Healthy

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:00:08 -0500

Recent research finds that our vices can be held back when we use cash instead of credit cards at the grocery store. Christie Nicholson reports

Small Study: Young Gang Members Want Dogs Mostly for Companionship

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:00:08 -0500

A study of 25 young gang and group members in South Wales found that they wanted dogs less as weapons or protection and mostly for companionship and socialization. Steve Mirsky reports

Inattentional Blindness Can Make You Not Perceive Events

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:00:08 -0500

Research finds that a cop who testified that he ran past a beating without seeing it could be telling the truth. Christie Nicholson reports

Math Learning Disability as Common as Dyslexia

Sat, 4 Jun 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Research has found that dyscalculia, a learning disability focused around number and math concepts, is as common as dyslexia. Christie Nicholson reports

The Blind Use the Visual Cortex to Process Sound

Sat, 28 May 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Recent research has confirmed that in blind subjects who use echolocation to navigate, it is the visual part of the brain that processes the auditory echoes. Christie Nicholson reports

Rude People Can Be Perceived as Powerful

Sun, 22 May 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Powerful people often bend the rules, so if someone is a rule-breaker could they be perceived as powerful? Christie Nicholson reports

How to Speak Persuasively

Sat, 14 May 2011 17:16:08 -0500

Discover how to successfully persuade others with these findings from a recent study on speech. Christie Nicholson reports

Know Thyself

Sat, 7 May 2011 16:00:08 -0500

A recent review paper shows that we might not know ourselves as well as we think. Christie Nicholson reports

First Impressions Can Be Quite Accurate

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:00:08 -0500

A study about the perception of neighborhoods reveals that our gut instinct based on the physical features of the neighborhood is highly accurate. Christie Nicholson reports

Reading the Mind to Restore Speech

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:08 -0500

By just thinking about, or saying, certain words, people can control a computer cursor. Christie Nicholson reports

Our Uhs and Ums May Help Children Learn Language

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:00:08 -0500

We think we should remove any ums and uhs when we talk, especially when teaching children language. New research finds that such pauses may be useful. Christie Nicholson reports

Yawns Are Contagious When You're with Friends

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Research with chimpanzees finds that chimps yawn more around other yawning chimps from their own community than with those from a separate community. Christie Nicholson reports

People with Tourette Syndrome Show Strong Cognitive Control

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Research finds that increased brain activity in key areas is tightly linked to an ability to control the tics caused by Tourette syndrome. Christie Nicholson reports

First Sex Alters Body Image

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 10:00:08 -0500

A recent assessment of undergrads reveals a gender difference in how the students see their bodies after their first sexual intercourse. Christie Nicholson reports

Self-Restraint Leads Us to Prefer Aggression

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 10:00:08 -0500

Research shows that when we practice self-restraint, we also tend to prefer aggressive messaging and movies. Christie Nicholson reports

Right-Handers Tend to Prefer the Right Side

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Recent research in the journal Psychological Science found that righties tend to prefer the right side of anything (spatially speaking) and lefties the left. Christie Nicholson reports

Perception of Our Physical State When Depressed or Anxious

Sun, 6 Mar 2011 09:00:08 -0500

Depression and anxiety have very different influences on how we perceive physical symptoms. Christie Nicholson reports

Social Context Influences Language

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:00:08 -0500

A recent study with teenage male songbirds finds that they can suddenly have a surge of tweeting talent when they are placed in the presence of a female bird. Christie Nicholson reports

Early Attachment May Affect Our Ability to Resolve Conflict in Relationships

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:08 -0500

Recent research in the journal Psychological Science reveals that infant attachment styles might influence our ability to recover from fights with our romantic partners. Christie Nicholson reports

Look to Lessen Acute Pain

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:47:08 -0500

Volunteers could endure an uncomfortable stimulus longer when they looked at the affected body part, and even longer if the part appeared enlarged

Cannabis May Influence Onset of Psychosis

Mon, 7 Feb 2011 16:01:08 -0500

Research to be published this summer finds that the use of cannabis is associated with the early onset of psychosis. Christie Nicholson reports

Babies Think Large Means Dominant

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:00:08 -0500

Recent research shows that even infants have a bias to think that big means alpha. Christie Nicholson reports

Meditation Correlated with Structural Changes in the Brain

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:00:08 -0500

A study published this week finds that an eight-week meditation course leads to structural changes in the brain. Christie Nicholson reports

Play Up That Ugly Trait

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 09:00:08 -0500

Data analysis from the popular online dating site OkCupid finds that the women who get the most attention from men are rated by many men as unattractive. Christie Nicholson reports

The Popularity of Predictive Medical Testing

Sat, 8 Jan 2011 09:00:08 -0500

A recent survey performed by the Tufts Medical Center finds that many would take a predictive test for prostate cancer. Christie Nicholson reports

What It Means to Forgive

Sat, 1 Jan 2011 09:00:08 -0500

This New Year's as we reflect on our experiences with friends and family we might think about forgiveness, both given and received. Philosopher Charles Griswold provides some guidance. Christie Nicholson reports

The Strongest Predictor for Low Stress

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:00:08 -0500

Research from wild baboons provides insight into perhaps the best way to combat daily, psychological stress. During this holiday season it might bring some comfort. Christie Nicholson reports

More Money Doesn't Mean More Happiness

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:00:08 -0500

Richard Easterlin wrote a paper back in the 1970s showing that increased income doesn't correlate with increased happiness. Last week he published an update on that paper. Christie Nicholson reports

What Makes an Honest Smile Honest?

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:00:08 -0500

What is the telltale clue to a genuine smile? Recent research finds positive correlations with this honest show of emotion. Christie Nicholson reports